This Kiss (Made In Montana Book 12) by Debbi Rawlins Read Free Book Online

dropped.”
    “When?” If that was true, Lola would’ve told her by now. But he sounded so certain she had to look at him. “When?” she repeated.
    “I’m not sure.”
    A lock of sun-streaked brown hair had fallen across his forehead. His face was lean and spare like the rest of him. Same square jaw she remembered, except for the dark stubble. And that perfect straight nose. He was even hotter now than he’d been back in high school.
    Some friggin’ nerve.
    “So, you weren’t sure if you had to show up in court or not and decided to take off anyway. Brilliant move.”
    “No, it’s not like that.” He jerked his wrist, clanging the handcuffs against the wooden post. “Is this necessary?”
    Well, that had to be rhetorical. She checked for texts or voice mails. “If the charges were dropped, my partner would’ve notified me. So guess you’re out of luck.”
    “Okay, look, my friend Arnie... Can we turn on more lights?”
    “No.” She sat on the chair and faced him. “Continue.”
    Ethan’s normal, easygoing expression had vanished, replaced by a piercing frown that made her tense. “Who are you?”
    “Sophie’s my real name.”
    “You know what I’m asking.”
    “I’m a fugitive retrieval agent—”
    “Fugitive?”
    “You asked.”
    He cut loose a pithy four-letter word. “What’s that, a fancy name for a bounty hunter?”
    “Yep.”
    “And that gives you the right to slap handcuffs on me?”
    “It sure does. Didn’t you read the bail bond contract?” By signing the document, he’d given her and Lola more authority to arrest him than even the police.
    She watched him scrub at his face with his free hand and waited out his mumbled curses. Leaving him with an unrestricted hand wasn’t a smart move. The bedpost was made from solid wood and plenty sturdy...she’d checked first thing. But Ethan was agile and strong.
    The memory of his hands on her body made her shudder.
    Dammit, she should’ve brought two pairs of cuffs. Mandy preferred using zip ties and had given Sophie a few. But they were sitting in the Jeep.
    “So that’s why you’re in such great shape,” he murmured.
    “Excuse me?”
    “I thought maybe you were a personal trainer or something, but that didn’t make sense, either,” he said, letting his gaze wander over her.
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Look, if you just let me make a phone call, I can straighten this out in no time.”
    “I have a better idea. You can do it in person when I take you back to Wyoming.”
    “Bullshit.”
    Sophie smiled. “It’s late. No sense driving tonight. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
    He jerked hard on the cuffs. The whole bed seemed to shake. “You know I won’t let you do that.”
    “Oh?” She rose. “What are you going to do? Scream?”
    Wow, that sure pissed him off. His face reddened, and his eyes turned positively frosty. He looked as if he wanted to put his hands around her neck and strangle the life out of her.
    It gave her a new respect for what Mandy had to do all the time. Face down criminals who might actually want to hurt her. Ethan was angry, and he’d try to get away if he could, but Sophie wasn’t afraid of him. She knew he would never do her harm.
    She walked to the window and parted the drapes, just enough so she could take a peek down the street. The Watering Hole wasn’t visible from here. Neither was her Jeep. Lots of people were still milling around, though. Another reason she wouldn’t try forcing Ethan into her car tonight.
    Damn, she wished she’d grabbed her bag along with the jacket. She needed her toothbrush, face cream, a change of clothes, all that stuff... And she hated leaving Ethan alone while she ran to the Jeep. She turned and caught him staring at her butt.
    He gave her a lazy smile.
    Oh, so he was pulling out the charm again.
    “Aren’t you gonna ask if I did it?”
    “What’s the point?” Sophie said. “Unless you have proof, your answer means nothing. And if